Facebook Set on Banishing Fake Likes; Less than 1% of a Page’s Likes to Go

Facebook has announced that it has “increased  […] automated efforts to remove Likes on Pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook Terms” to ensure indicators of a Page’s popularity are accurate.

According to Facebook policy, users are under obligation to provide only true personal information, to create only one account each and not to create accounts on behalf of other persons. However, the social network’s recent implementation of a verified account and pseudonym option for celebrities hints at its difficulties in keeping its users real. In fact, in August this year, Facebook admitted to 83 million of its user accounts being fake.

The company is now keen on dealing with this once and for all. “When a Page and fan connect on Facebook, we want to ensure that connection involves a real person interested in hearing from a specific Page and engaging with that brand’s content”, reads the official Facebook announcement released last Friday.

The measure is not likely to have a significant impact on pages whose owners have complied with Facebook regulations. “On average, less than 1% of Likes on any given Page will be removed, providing they and their affiliates have been abiding by our terms.”

This move has been qualified as the social networks’ attempt to strengthen its credibility as efficient advertising tool. Facebook is now acknowledging another issue that has been looming over online social platforms for quite a while: bulk fan trading.

“To be clear, we do not and have never permitted the purchase or sale of Facebook Likes as we only want people connecting to the Pages and brands with whom they have chosen to connect. Beyond the need to maintain authentic relationships on Facebook, these third-party vendors often attempt to use malware or other forms of deception to generate fraudulent Likes, which is harmful to all users and the internet as a whole.”